fricative
noun /ˈfrɪkətɪv/
/ˈfrɪkətɪv/
(North American English also spirant)
(phonetics)- a speech sound made by forcing breath out through a narrow space in the mouth with the lips, teeth or tongue in a particular position, for example /f/ and /ʃ/ in fee and sheTopics Languagec2Word Originmid 19th cent.: from modern Latin fricativus, from Latin fricare ‘to rub’.